Jim Higgins
Ceist:59 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps, if any, he has taken to tackle racism and xenophobia in consultation with his EU General Affairs Council colleagues. [4384/99]
Written Answers. - Racism and Xenophobia.
I would, in the first instance like to confirm to the Deputy that racism and xenophobia are matters of concern to this Government as well as all our European partners. Since my appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs in September 1997 there have been no discussions at the General Affairs Council on racism and xenophobia.
However, the Deputy should be aware that the General Affairs Council, at its meeting on 2 June 1997, approved the establishment of the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia. The centre opened in January 1998 and is based in Vienna. The primary objective of the monitoring centre is to provide the Community and its member states with objective, reliable and comparable data at European level on the phenomena of racism, xenophobia and anti-semitism in order to help them when they take measures or formulate courses of action within their respective spheres of competence.
Ireland fully supported the establishment the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia and we will continue to support action at EU level aimed at combating racism and xenophobia.
I should also like to advise the Deputy that the 1996 EU Joint Action on Racism and Xenophobia continues to be pursued in the context of the Justice and Home Affairs Council. The joint action was aimed at improving judicial co-operation between member states in the fight against racism and xenophobia and the report presented to the May 1998 JHA Council indicated that member states have, to a very large extent, implemented the provisions of the joint action. A further review of this joint action is due at the end of next year.
The conclusions, which emerged from the Vienna European Council last December, underlined the need to combat all manifestations of racism, xenophobia and antisemitism, both in the European Union and in third countries. It emphasised the role of the Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia in this regard. The European Council also invited the Commission to draft proposals for its Cologne meeting for measures to counter racism in the candidate countries and invited the member states to con sider taking similar measures inside the Union. While further initiatives in the area of racism and xenophobia are most likely to be advanced under the guidance of the Justice and Home Affairs Council, rather than the General Affairs Council, I can assure the Deputy that I will take all the steps open to me to assist and support this work.